1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to loader and carrier apparatus for loading and carrying vehicles such as boats, jet skies, snow mobiles, all terrain vehicles, and any other similar vehicles, on a carrier vehicle such as a pickup truck or the like.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
Through the years there have been many designs of apparatus that enable carrier vehicles such as pickup trucks to load and carry boats with the boat motor attached so the user can have the back of the truck clear for hauling a trailer, such as a travel trailer. However, placing a relatively large boat over the cargo bed or over the entire truck has presented problems that have led to solutions with similar flaws.
First, loading apparatus for regular boat trailers require the use of ramps or long tracks for the initial approach, adding more parts to the design and increasing the complexity and imposing severe limitations on the functionality of the truck by reducing the space available in the cargo bed with all the hardware needed for the loader. Examples of such devices are Shown U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,866; Long et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,734,321; Pihlgren U.S. Pat. No. 3,843,002; and Smith et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,595.
Second, other loading apparatus would have several feet of the boat hanging off the back of the truck or needing special hitch extensions to attach a trailer behind. Examples of such devices are W E Robinson U.S. Pat. No. 3,550,800 and R. W. Cook U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,644.
Third, boat loading apparatus with launchers require the truck with the carrier to be the only vehicle capable of taking the boat to the water. Examples of such devices are Reed U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,433, Fluck U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,580; Sutton U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,788; and Ellis U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,928.
Fourth, alternatives without any structure under the boat would add unwanted stress to the hull. An example of such a device is disclosed in Reimer U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,462.
To this end, a need exists for an improved loading and carrying apparatus. It is to such an apparatus that the inventive concepts disclosed herein are directed.